フォーラム
医薬品の環境リスクアセスメント ―医療従事者が知っておくべき医薬品の環境リスク―
2009 年 41 巻 1 号 p. 59-65
詳細
2009 年 41 巻 1 号 p. 59-65
The sensitivity and detection limit of chemical analysis have improved remarkably since the 1980's, and pharmaceuticals are frequently detected in the environment. Many substances including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, body care products, disinfectants, fire retardants, industrial additives and gasoline additives have been referred to generally as emerging contaminants. The EU and US have already established regulations concerning environmental risk assessment (ERA) of pharmaceuticals. In Japan, a group closely related to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has begun to study similar regulations. The adoption of these regulations has been welcome in the EU and US, and ERA guidelines will also be established in Japan in the near future. On the other hand, health professions such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists in Japan appear to be unaware of ERA of pharmaceuticals as emerging contaminants. This article provides a general overview of ERA of pharmaceuticals in the EU and USA, especially targeting health professions in Japan.
